Have you wondered if raw milk is truly safe? Why did we start pasteurizing it in the first place? Have our ancestors always drunk milk? What is the fermentation all about, and is it really necessary? In this episode, we will share some of what we have learned about raw milk over the past ten years.… Read More
Milk kefir is my nemesis!
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Fresh, home-made probiotics are *powerful* things. I should know, I’ve spent almost a decade measuring the amount of sauerkraut I have and ever-so-gradually increasing it. I started this because too many fermented foods stop me sleeping. For others, too much might cause tummy upset or skin reactions…
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What I’ve also learnt, along this journey, is that not all fermented foods are the same. Some are more vigourous, some gentler.
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For instance, I remember reading in the GAPS book (@ancestralkitchenpodcast episode on GAPS coming soon) that sauerkraut brine is gentler than the actual fermented cabbage.
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Milk kefir is the undisputed King of fermented foods as far as I’m concerned. Every time I try to have another go at bringing it into my life (and of course, I try a lot because it tastes so darn good!), I’m there wide awake at 2am!!
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And yet, in the tapestry of my own healing, I feel it’s important, so I’ll get organised (just like I did for sauerkraut) and my teaspoon out, starting *really* slowly.
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In the meantime, the beautifully fermented, but less vigourous ‘boza’ (pictured) will deliver its probiotic goodies to my tummy. We all have idiosyncracies, things we’re healing, things that don’t sit right with us and boza – being gluten, dairy and lectin free can offer a delicious (and historic) probiotic.
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Videos of my boza process in my story today and thank you @bigbank2riverbank for this picture of your boza fermenting. It was wonderful to talk boza and much more when we met last week.
Do you (or does anyone you know) struggle with sleep? If so, this post (and its sister post Improve Your Sleep Using Ancestral Food) is for you! Sleep is, and always has been, my Achilles heel. If you, like me, … Read More
Do you (or does anyone you know) struggle with sleep? If so, this post (and its sister post Improve Your Sleep Using Ancestral Wisdom) is for you! Sleep is, and always has been, my Achilles heel. If you, like me, … Read More
Are crackling bubbles the height of deliciousness on roast pork belly?!
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I had to share this bubble with my 8-year old (at least I managed to get it to the table without him victoriously stabbing it with something!).
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Check my story today to see how I cook pork belly.
Early morning ale-making!
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The ale (bottom, in the glass container) which contains malted rye and oats, home-cultured yeast and water, is being strained through a colander before bottling for a short second ferment. The bowl on the left is of spent grain – this will be mixed with flour to make a bread.
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There are more pictures (including one of my hubby’s dressing gown – it really was morning!) in my story.
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And I finally got round to writing up my ancestral beer adventures so far. Read all about it via the ‘Medieval Ale in a Modern Kitchen’ link under the articles section of my profile.
These are the show notes for a podcast episode recorded especially for patrons of my main show (Ancestral Kitchen Podcast). These patrons pay a monthly subscription to be part of the podcast community and in return receive monthly exclusive recordings … Read More
Imagine buying bare land in Alaska and building your own farm from the ground up. Imagine raising cows and chickens there and growing virtually all your own food. Imagine doing this whilst also being a mum to three youngsters (two of whom are baby twins) and having a partner who works a job away from home. Today, Andrea talks to Amanda Callahan, the lady who is doing just that.… Read More
This is how my home-grown veg are going to be *really* good come autumn: Fermented food waste a.k.a bokashi.
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I’ve been fermenting kitchen scraps. After a few weeks sitting inside a simple fermenting container in my kitchen, it comes out here to my container garden.
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My obliging helpers (so good to do things together!) dig a big hole in my pot. We take the fermenting food (you can see from the picture that it’s still recognisable – that’s fine) and put it in the hole. Then we mix it well with the existing soil and cover.
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It’ll sit here for a few weeks now, then I’ll be able to plant into it. I°m planning beets, carrots, parsnips and…in a slightly crazy move some oats!
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I cannot tell you how good our veg are grown in bokashi. Nor how great it feels to be reusing our kitchen scraps whilst not buying new compost!
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Check my story today for video (saved to bokashi highlight afterwards) and know that if you want to give this a go, you can get a 10% discount on the container and fermenting medium via the links in my story.
If I say the word beer, what do you think of? For me, it’s that men drink it, and it tastes bitter. Because of these two things, for most of my life I’ve thought beer wasn’t for me. Beer’s a … Read More